Windows
by Evergreena
Summary: Adrien feels restless and goes out in the rain to think, only to get himself captured by a crazy witch. (Very loosely) inspired by Hansel and Gretel.


**A/N: Oops, I forgot to upload this one here! It was originally created as a Christmas gift for a friend over on AO3, and it's my first time writing a Ladybug fic. Enjoy!**

* * *

Adrien pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the window, staring out at the chilly winter rain. He let his eyes defocus, and he sighed. Paris was quiet tonight, and normally he'd consider it too cold and wet to go out as Chat Noir unless there was an emergency in the city. But now he was seriously considering just going out anyway.

"Whatcha brooding about now?" The whiny voice of his kwami cut through his haze of melancholy. Plagg floated up near his face. "Don't tell me you're pining after Ladybug again…"

Adrien rolled his eyes. "I'm just tired of stepping quietly around my father all the time, letting him shove me aside so he can work—"

"Then don't." Plagg crossed his paws over his chest. "I don't see what the big deal is, anyway."

"It's… almost Christmas," Adrien said, as if that obviously explained everything. It did, at least in his mind. Christmas had always been a rather happy time before… well, before. Now, it was more lonely than even the rest of the year had been. And then there was the matter of his fight with Ladybug during their last patrol over the city, the previous night. It hadn't even been a very serious argument, but it just made everything else seem that much bleaker in his eyes.

"Hmph." Plagg zipped up right in front of his face. "Well, if all you're gonna do is sit here feeling sorry for yourself, I'm gonna find a snack." He zipped over to the plate of cheese and crackers that Nathalie had sent up to Adrien's room. "You'd think they'd remember the Camembert by now," he grumbled as he stacked up the stinkiest cheese he could find.

Adrien returned his attention to the window. Nino was busy with his family, and he didn't want to sound desperate for companionship anyway. But he was beginning to feel like the walls of the grand old house were falling in on him, and he knew that his father was not going to check on him tonight. Too busy, as always.

"I know what you're thinking," Plagg said with his mouth full of cheese. "And I absolutely refuse to go out in that weather—"

"Plagg, claws out!"

Plagg whined as he was sucked into the ring, initiating the transformation. A moment later, Chat Noir vaulted from the tall window and vanished into the rainy December night.

* * *

Adrien de-transformed outside the Louvre and ducked into the underground mall of shops near the museum entrance to get out of the rain. Plagg muttered complaints under his breath as he burrowed into Adrien's shirt to get warm. The mall was bustling with people doing their last-minute holiday shopping, though Adrien could tell that the shops would be closing soon, as most shoppers were leaving with their bundles. He wandered from shop to shop, feeling a bit silly that he had come all the way out here just to be around ordinary people.

A commotion in front of a candy store caught his attention. He hurried over to see an old candy-seller woman throwing two kids, a boy and a girl, out of her shop. Their unrepentant faces were smeared with chocolate and mischievous grins. "You little rats come back, and I'll call the police!" the woman yelled after them, clearly furious. She slammed the shop door, rattling the bell above it.

Adrien watched as the troublemaker kids high-fived and wiped the candy from their mouths. Then they scampered off into the throng of shoppers. He glanced back into the candy shop and saw the old woman in the window display, bending over an elaborately decorated gingerbread house that was missing part of the roof and some of the chocolate cobblestones leading up to the frosting door. Those kids must have been nibbling on it, he realized.

He tried the door, but the old woman had locked it, closing the shop up early, so he shrugged and went on his way.

* * *

Marinette rolled her pencil back and forth on her desk. Why was it so hard to come up with a present for Adrien?

"I think you're over thinking it, Marinette," Tikki said as she alighted on the blank page. "Adrien will like it no matter what gift you give him."

"But it's _Adrien_ ," Marinette fretted. "It has to be perfect! And I'll figure out something wonderful. I just don't know what that is yet."

"You could just spend some time with him," Tikki said. "He seems lonely sometimes."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Me? Spend time with Adrien? Outside of school?" The thought was exciting, but she shook her head. "I— I can't do that—"

Tikki shrugged. "Why not? You're his friend, aren't you?"

"Uh. Well." She gulped. Everything was so black and white with Tikki, but the truth was that ever since that first day when Adrien offered her that umbrella those months ago, she wasn't quite sure what sort of "friends" they really were to each other. He was kind to her, but then he was nice to everyone, even Chloe. Other times he seemed a bit distant, like there was an invisible barrier between them.

Her phone buzzed and she glanced down to see a text from Alya: _Akuma villain has Adrien!?_

She instantly called Alya back.

"Where? What's going on?" she demanded before Alya could even finish saying hello. "What do you know?"

"Breathe, girl, and I'll tell you!" came Alya's ever-calm voice. "I was walking around the Louvre center with my parents when we saw a giant gingerbread house burst up from underground. The akuma is a witchy-looking lady on the roof, cackling like mad. Here, switch to video and I can show you."

Marinette stared at her phone as the live video began. Indeed, the screen showed a giant, candy-covered house wedged between the buildings. Some people were running from it while others cautiously approached (like Alya) with cameras and phones.

The akuma stood on top of the peaked roof, laughing as she hurled giant peppermints at the frightened people below. "I am the Candy Witch!" she screeched. "Nibble nibble on my house and die!"

Then she spotted Adrien. He was trapped behind the candy-glass window in the attic of the house, yelling something that couldn't be heard.

"He's right there," Alya was saying, but Marinette hardly heard. She had to hurry!

"Ladybug and Chat Noir have but ten minutes before this poor boy runs out of air," the hag keened. "Better hurry or he's nothing but a gingerbread man!"

"They're bound to show up!" Alya said to Marinette. "They always do!"

Marinette gulped. "Just get to safety and stay out of sight! These akumas are sometimes really dangerous!"

"Yes, mother," Alya said with an eyeroll. "I'll keep you posted."

Marinette hung up without another word. She paced across her floor. "Tikki, we need to help Adrien and stop that akuma!"

Tikki nodded solemnly. "You're right, Marinette. Adrien is in grave danger. We must hurry."

* * *

"This is what I get for being a concerned citizen," Adrien said glumly. "I was just going to help her, and what does she do? Get all akumatized and lock me up in her crazy gingerbread prison!"

"Eh, could be worse," Plagg said.

"I can't even transform because people have seen that I'm in here!"

"Still, could be worse."

"Ladybug doesn't know I'm not going to come as Chat Noir… She's coming to fight the akuma alone, and I can't help her!"

Plagg tried to munch on the gingerbread wall, then spit out a few crumbs. "Yuck! This stuff is terrible!"

"Don't eat it! That's what set her off in the first place!" Adrien batted the kwami away from the wall. "Any bright ideas for getting out of here?"

Plagg just phased through the wall and disappeared. Right. Adrien couldn't exactly follow that way. He slumped to the small square of floor in the tiny stuffy room, realizing that he had to pant to get enough air, and was it getting warmer? At least the dense gingerbread roof kept the rain off his head.

After what seemed like hours, Plagg popped back into the tiny space. "The bad news is that there's no way out except through the unbreakable sugary window glass. The walls are sealed up tight with hard icing." He paused. "The worse news is that the witch is saying you'll run out of air soon."

Adrien wiped his sweating brow. "Do you have any _good_ news?"

Plagg thought for a moment. Then he patted his stomach. "I found a cheese shop with some excellent Camembert."

* * *

Ladybug alighted on a nearby rooftop to survey the situation. She didn't like what she saw. The gingerbread house filled a large portion of the square, and the Candy Witch akuma sat on top, throwing out exploding pieces of candy. Where was Adrien?

There! She spotted a bit of movement in the tiny attic window of the gingerbread house. It had to be him. She swung her yo-yo in a circle then flung it at a light-post. She flipped and landed on the roof next to the witch. "Let Adrien go!" she demanded. She looked over her enemy, noticing that the exploding candies all came from a red chocolate box in her hands. That had to be where the akuma was.

A bonbon flew right at her face, and she ducked and rolled away just before it exploded sticky goo everywhere. A few splotches hit her foot. Marinette grimaced as she hid behind the peppermint chimney. She poked at the goo with her finger and almost got her hand stuck to it. She peeked around the chimney and almost got slapped in the face with a red licorice whip. Too close. Right. She would have to be careful about this. But first, she should probably free Adrien. Who knew how much air he had in that little attic? She spun her yo-yo again and wrapped it around the chimney, then jumped off the roof to swing down toward the little window with both feet first, planning to burst through the window.

She hit the window hard and bounced off, spinning wildly in midair. "No!" she cried, frustrated. She had to break through! She slammed one fist against the impermeable sugar glass with all her might, but she couldn't break it. This was a job for Chat Noir, not Ladybug. But where was he? Was he still angry after their little tiff yesterday?

Adrien poked his head up in surprise and looked out at her with what could only be relief to see Ladybug. He shouted something, but she couldn't hear him. She motioned for him to get away from the window so she could try again, but he shook his head and pointed frantically behind her.

She turned to see the Candy Witch come zooming toward her, riding on a candy cane like a broom. Marinette tried to leap out of the way, but it was too late. The Candy Witch slammed her into the wall, and then all went black.

* * *

"No!" Adrien shouted as Ladybug fell to the ground, unconscious. This was bad. Even as he watched, he saw the Candy Witch look down at Ladybug with a new gleam in her eyes. The miraculous! She was going to grab for them. "Wake up!" he cried, but he knew that Ladybug couldn't have heard him even if she was awake.

The diminished oxygen in the stuffy room was not enough. He could tell that his sluggish thoughts were a result of his gradual suffocation. He was beginning to see spots in his vision.

"Plagg, we've got to make this quick…"

* * *

Marinette blinked awake to the sound of a loud _crack!_ Shards of candy glass clinked on the street all around her in the night air like sparkling crystals. She heard a shout of anger from the Candy Witch, who had somehow gotten too close for comfort. She quickly rolled away from the hag's bony fingers. Then she jumped up to assess what had happened while she'd been knocked out.

The window in front of Adrien had been smashed open, presumably from the inside. But she didn't have time to ponder that because then Adrien was peeking out through the broken shards that remained in the window frame. He was apparently unharmed, though he did look a bit too pale. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ladybug!" Adrien shouted to her. "Use your power!"

He was right. Since it seemed that Chat Noir was not going to make an appearance tonight, she would just have to end this on her own. "Lucky Charm!"

The magic dropped a flat-head screwdriver into her waiting hands. She blinked. "A screwdriver…" She looked around her, trying to piece together what she was supposed to do. She spotted a cowering tourist with a camera, Adrien in the window of the gingerbread house, a round peppermint on the roof, and the screwdriver in her hands, and began to get an idea.

"Adrien, catch!" she shouted, and tossed the screwdriver up toward him. He managed to grab it. "Chip off one of the peppermints!" she instructed. As he began to climb up out of the window, she turned and ran straight toward the man with the camera. He flinched backwards a step, but he seemed more in awe of her than afraid. "Can I borrow this?" she asked. He shoved it toward her without complaint.

Meanwhile, the Candy Witch was trying to decide who was more important to focus on. When she saw that Adrien had crawled out onto the roof and was obediently prying loose one of the peppermints with the screwdriver, she screeched with fury. Adrien succeeded in his task and the peppermint dropped into his hand. He held it up and waved it back and forth. "Ladybug! Now what?"

"Throw it here," she called back. She discreetly made sure the camera was on the proper setting, then shouted, "NOW!"

Adrien hurled the large candy piece at her with surprising agility. She was relieved to see the Candy Witch dive after the candy, rather than attacking Adrien. The oversize peppermint landed squarely on the ground at Marinette's feet, but she kept her attention fixed on the witch as she came hurtling at her with wide, bloodshot eyes. At the last second she whipped up the camera and snapped a bright flash photo, right in the witch's eyes.

The witch fell to the ground and instinctively covered her eyes, dropping her akumatized candy box. Marinette deftly snatched it and broke it in half.

* * *

One second, Adrien was standing on the roof of a giant gingerbread house, watching his secret partner catch and purify the akuma butterfly, and then it all ended as quickly as it began, as Ladybug shouted, "Miraculous Ladybug!" and the magic restored everything to its proper place.

The gingerbread house beneath him vanished in a swirl of light, along with the shattered bits of candy window that he'd broken with his subtle use of the Cataclysm power. He was actually quite proud of himself for that. He felt a brief twinge of pity for Plagg, who had come back out of the ring feeling very exhausted and grumpy. Well, even grumpier than usual.

"I'll get you some more cheese in a moment," Adrien promised the weakened kwami as the magic dropped him gently on the ground again. "But I need to make sure Ladybug is all right first."

"Sure, sure," Plagg muttered. "I'm just moldy bread next to Ladybug." But he made no other protest, so Adrien slipped him in his pocket and ran through the cheering crowd of onlookers, trying to see where Ladybug was.

"Ladybug!" he shouted, as soon as he saw her. She was standing next to Alya, trying to politely decline an interview. She turned and saw him, and an odd look passed across her face.

"Uh, Adrien Agreste," she said a bit stiffly, but she was smiling at him. "I hope you're not too shaken by all that."

He shook his head. "I was more worried about you."

"How did you get out of that attic?" she asked curiously.

He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Um, you must have weakened it for me or something…" Then he noticed her earrings were signaling that she was close to transforming back. He gestured at his own ear. "Uh, your earrings—"

She flushed. "Yeah. I've got to go. Bug out!" She tossed him one more concerned look, then flew away on her yo-yo string.

He sighed after her.

"Adrien!" Alya called over the chattering crowd. "I saw the whole thing. I can't believe how you and Ladybug worked together like that. Was that awesome, or was it awesome? Too bad you didn't get to meet Chat Noir, though," she added. "I wonder why he didn't show up?"

Adrien shrugged. "Ladybug had it handled, I guess."

"Good thing, too, or that could have been—"

"Adrien!" another voice called from somewhere ahead. Then Marinette pushed through, panting hard, and wearing only a thin cardigan over her clothes. "Are you okay?!"

"Marinette?" He looked at her in surprise. "Were you here watching too?"

Alya laughed. "Nah, I texted her and I'm guessing she just ran all the way here. Without a coat or umbrella, too, I see." Alya flicked the side of Marinette's head. "Well, I'll let you two catch up. I'm glad you're okay, though!" She waved and ran to catch up with her parents.

"You're soaking wet!" Adrien exclaimed when he saw Marinette shivering from the rain. He shrugged out of his sweatshirt and held it up. "You need this more than I do," he said firmly when she hesitated to take it. "It was too warm and stuffy in that attic anyway."

She blushed and accepted the shirt. "Yank thoo, uh, I mean thank you!" She blushed even deeper, then pulled up the hood of the sweatshirt to hide her face. "At least the rain finally turned to snow," she said quickly.

He smiled as he looked up to the sky. Sure enough, the precipitation was gently wafting down in fluffy white flakes instead of biting raindrops. The sight lifted his spirits.

"Uh, do you need to call your father or anything?" Marinette asked. "You can use my phone if you need to. Or do you need anything else?"

He pulled his own phone out of his pocket. "Thanks, but my father is probably already sending my bodyguard with the car to pick me up…" Sure enough, he had received several messages from Nathalie telling him not to move from that exact spot, he was to come straight home as soon as the car picked him up, did he want her to prepare any warm towels, et cetera. He grimaced. "Actually," he said, getting an idea. "Would it be okay if we hung out somewhere near here until the car gets here? I'd rather not wait alone."

Her jaw dropped, and he instantly realized what he'd just asked. He ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, that is, only if you're not expected elsewhere. For a few minutes only, I promise."

She giggled. Actually giggled. Then blushed again. "Wha, uh, y-yes I'd, I'd love to!" she stammered, completely flustered. Huh, she was kind of cute when she did that. "Did you want to go into one of the shops to stay warm?"

And just like that, all traces of his sour mood from earlier were gone. Feeling bolder, he hooked her arm with his. "As a matter of fact, I hear there's this cheese shop around the corner that has some excellent Camembert…"


End file.
